Court acquits German coronavirus denier of incitement over Israel remarks

BERLIN (AP) — A prominent critic of Germany’s pandemic restrictions who repeatedly spread false information about the coronavirus has been acquitted of incitement to hatred for comments about Jews and Israel. A regional court in the northern town of Ploen ruled Tuesday that Thai-German microbiologist Sucharit Bhakdi didn’t break the law when he described Israel as worse than Nazi Germany. Public broadcaster NDR reported that judges also said that Bhakdi’s claims about the COVID vaccine being part of a second Holocaust didn’t constitute a downplaying of the Nazi genocide which killed 6 million Jews. Bhakdi, who was greeted by dozens of supporters as he arrived at the court, could have faced a fine if convicted. The ruling can be appealed.